


The Witching Hour

by Rosetta



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, FANTASY AU HERE WE GO, M/M, Victor in shining armour not quite literally, Will add more tags as I go along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-10 16:46:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8924617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosetta/pseuds/Rosetta
Summary: Legend has it, the quaint seaside village Hasetsu is shadowed by an evil witch, who will entice attractive young men into the deep woods to feed on their very soul and lulls unknowing women to sap on their beauty. Legend has it, Victor Nikiforov, the stray knight from the Northern Kingdoms, is so hella handsome the witch would probably fall for him.Regarding Victor Nikiforov, local healer agrees 1000%.





	1. The Calm Before a Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **/*CHAPTER 1 HAS BEEN ALMOST ENTIRELY REWRITTEN*/**
> 
> There's probably more than enough fantasy(...ish? or does witches and knights count more as medieval? idk mate lol) AUs on this site and it's been so FUCKING LONG since I last wrote something, much less something chaptered, but let me tell you that I've been dreaming up the entire plot for this particular AU for WEEKS. THEN episode 10 came and all my headcanons were flipped over 1800 degrees or something idk and I had to RE-DREAM EVERYTHING.
> 
> Not that I'm pissed at all jfc why am I not pissed it must've been the port red i've been dunking in lately. I dyingly need a beta reader for this else I risk drunk-writing. My drunk-writing is nowhere as good as Yuuri's drunk flamenco ok.
> 
> Hi
> 
> I'm skull-deep in the Katsuki-Nikiforov ship please send help

The seaside village of Hasetsu was a quiet place, with population that seemingly dwindle with every season it passed. It had no major seaports, which was less than helpful in maintaining its meagre population, but it had a lovely beach that stretched across its entire Eastern border, a white fence between the quaint traditional village and the deep blue of the open sea. Small boats and fishing barges resting on their humble stops were everyday sights, with their fishermen usually absent as they rest the day away in preparation of night hunts.

Stone walls and pavements, vestiges from an era of rapid development that had long since passed, marked the distinct transition between Hasetsu’s open beachfront and the village’s residential districts, which had seen less people traversing in its streets year after year. It was not a surprise for anyone who had lived long enough in Hasetsu - save for the abandoned stone castle that overlooked the village from a hill to the North and natural hot springs that had one by one went out of commission due to _reasons_ , there was little that would invite travelers into their humble little hamlet.

Aside from what made it _not_ , Hasetsu was just another common village, with lazy mornings and lazier afternoons.

But like most other common villages, Hasetsu was no stranger to local legends and folklores, nor was it a stranger to scary stories to tell children who refuses to sleep early. There were more believable ones, such as the one about an eight-legged beast of the ocean, attributed to the gigantic mass of rocks and reef looking out at the edge of the marina. It had been carved naturally and lovingly by the waves and the winds over a period of no less than a few thousand years, researchers believe.

There were also less believable ones, such as the ones that described faceless men and long-necked maneaters. A recent one - appearing only a little less than seven years ago - not quite easily fell into the second category. It told the story of a witch - and unlike witches who stole naughty children from the streets at night, it was said that the Witch of Hasetsu seduced men and women alike at a whim, and spirited the unlucky victim away into the woods, never to be seen again.

Like many other urban legends, people had tried to rationalize the fairy tale. The older generation linked it to increasingly promiscuous lifestyles and increasingly lax curfew times. The younger people blamed it on liquor and young love, and the village's aging population. The kids ate the story on face value.

Like many urban legends, at some point, it _spreaded_.

 

* * *

 

 

"I still don't get you, Vitya."

 _Vitya_ tilted his head curiously upon hearing the words of his young blonde companion. "Don't get what, Yura?"

Yuri Plisetsky scratched his head in annoyance, before he softly pulled the reins on his horse, distracting it from the pansies along the road. "Well- _this_." He waved his free hand widely. "It was bad enough that you crossed Yakov, of all people, and practically got banished from the royal knights-"

"He sent me away temporarily, Yura."

"- _might_ as well consider he sent you away to die since you know no one ever leaves the royal knights to come back." Yuri mumbled, almost throwing up at the bright, impossibly optimistic smile the laid off royal knight had on his face. "Just because you're _Victor Fucking Nikiforov_ doesn't mean things will always be as bright and flowery as I believe you tend to imagine them, you ass." He shook his head in disbelief when the only reply he received from Victor was a light-hearted chuckle. "Why are you so bent on visiting some run-down, underpopulated hamlet so far down South anyway? There's plenty of witches in the hamlets surrounding the Northern Kingdom."

Upon hearing this, Victor smiled mischievously. "You see, precious Yuratcshka, they say the prettiest one is always the furthest one away!" Yuri groaned, and it only made Victor's smile wider. "I just hear too much about this ravishingly beautiful witch everywhere we go, it's impossible not to get piqued by it!"

"...you just want to give her a thorough _taste_ once you find her, don't you."

"You understand me so well, I'm touched. As expected from my ultimate aide!"

There was a loud _tchk_ from the blonde, who began to wonder why, _why_ did he offer to be the estranged knight's companion. Wait, he _knew_ why - but it was hard for him to admit that the main reason he offered to accompany Victor was because he found Victor to be cool. _Yes, cool_ . Strong, unwavering, and cool - until the highly regarded, highly talented knight broke his own oath to the knights by displaying _a rebellious streak_ against the country. Sober. In front of about a hundred or so new recruits and veterans alike.

It was such a humiliation for the captain (and for the entire Knighthood) that his most brilliant and most recognized knight would dare to publicly speak up about their kingdom's aversion to magic in his open speech. He questioned one of the most enforced law to ever grace the papers of the Northern Kingdoms, despite it only being around for...just a little bit over a decade? The king was very adamant that all everyday magic were to be disposed, apparently. The only thing that saved Victor's pretty head from getting lopped off its body was his reputation within the Knighthood, and Yakov was haggling hard already. Told them goddamn newsmongers and rumour hounds that it was merely a passing jest, albeit a fatal and punishable one.

_Thing is._

Everybody present knew it was on purpose, somehow.

 _Victor Nikiforov : Esteemed Royal Knight Gone Delirious?_ was headlining news throughout the Northern Kingdoms on the day they left.

Not that Yuri cared.

"You could've at least attempted to look a bit sorry when we left. You jerk."

Victor simply smiled at Yuri, before he stopped his horse, eyes all bright and lit up. Yuri followed, stopping his horse next to Victor's as the older man laid his gaze upon the village at the foot of the path they were on. The sea line was clear, a sharp contrast between the deep blue of the sea and the burning red of the setting sun in the distance. It was getting darker, and lights were turning on one by one at the seaside village, Hasetsu.

"And look at that, Yura - _we're finally here_!"

 

* * *

 

 

Katsuki Yuuri waved kindly at his last customer for the day, before he lifted a heavy tome off the counter. A tired but content smile was on his face as he slid the massive book back into the empty slot on the shelf behind it. “Phichit,” he called out, as he skimmed across the bottles on another shelf, making sure everything - apart from the ones still scattered across his benchtop - had been put back into their place. “Do you still need that diarrhea fix?”

A distressed groan could be heard, before a tan-skinned boy appeared through the hallway. “Yes please, _doc_.” Phichit Chulanont was no longer clutching his stomach as he walked, but he was visibly in discomfort, and it made Yuuri wince in sympathy. “Can you get diarrhea from eating too much? Because I still don’t want to stop eating your mother’s pork cutlet.”

“You can’t _really_ get diarrhea from overeating, _specifically_ , no,” Yuuri answered, as he ushered Phichit to take a seat on the counter. “But you can get it from eating too much sweets and fatty food, so I think katsudon will be a bad idea for a while.”

Phichit’s whine was almost heartbreaking.

Yuuri shook his head, and instead continued to deftly pick some herbal leaves that Phichit _still_ couldn’t name. After lightly scrunching them, he dropped them into a small copper pot, in which he put some water earlier. “Since it’s not as bad anymore, I’ll just give you a tea instead of the extract from yesterday. Is that good for you?” He asked, to which Phichit nodded tiredly.

“Mmm yeah, tea’s good.”

“I’ll add some honey to it as well.”

“ _Mmmmmm honey_.”

Phichit’s uncharacteristic fatigue almost made Yuuri laugh, but he let the tan young man rest his head on the counter anyway - he’ll just have to make him wipe the counter clean if he left any drool _again_. As he waited for the leaves to infuse into the water, he took a seat on the counter, right across Phichit. He fixed his glasses, then his eyes moved to the pot of carnations across the room, and noted to himself to replace the flowers and the water when he got time.

Funny, though - didn’t he just put the flowers there yesterday?

His attention was pulled towards Phichit once again when he heard the sick boy groan again. “Is it hurting again?” He asked, and Phichit half nodded, half shook his head. “Not really, it’s just really uncomfortable now,” was the answer that followed.

“Do you need to go-”

“I’ve gone like _five_ times in the past hour, Yuuriiii,” Phichit whined. “Is the tea not done yet?”

Yuuri took a glance at the pot, then walked over to give it a sniff, his glasses getting lightly fogged in the process. “Almost,” he said, before giving it a little stir. “It’s not like you’re going to get better straight away after drinking it, you know.”

“And _that’s_ where you’re wrong, _doc_ .” Despite the misery Yuuri was sure Phichit was in, his tan friend still managed a grin. “It doesn’t work straightaway, _normally_ , but your stuff? They’re like, _instant_ instant.” Phichit made an exploding gesture with his hands, earning him a chuckle from Yuuri. “So potent they’re almost like _magic -_ except we know you don’t put magic on them since it’s been banned for awhile now. But no wonder people love you so much, man!”

A shy smile made its way onto Yuuri’s face. “That’s too flattering, Phichit,” he said, as he took off his glasses and wiped it nervously. Despite his own words, though, he did to some extent believe in Phichit’s words -  his little apothecary wouldn’t be as successful as it managed to be, otherwise.

 _Apothecary Akatsuki_ , it was called. For about five years now it had occupied a small room just to the right of the entry hallway of _Yu-topia Akatsuki_ bath house inn, one of the largest and the last few remaining inns of Hasetsu, and the last one to still boast an actual in-house natural hot spring.

It was Mari’s idea, after Yuuri found himself incompatible with the previous apothecary he worked at. “ _Why not open your own apothecary,_ ” she had said, when Yuuri complained about the sneaky head brewer he worked with purposefully reducing medicine potency to cash out on unknowing patients. “ _You’re good enough, I’m sure it’ll work out, and it goes hand in hand with our rejuvenative hot spring theme_.”

It _didn’t_ quite work out at first, with new customers being wary of less experienced apothecaries and older brewers bashing him just because he was young, and because he was a rival. It wasn’t until when one of the inn’s patron ran out of medications and fell horribly ill that he finally got the chance to shine - and used it spectacularly. Said patron eventually became one of his loyal customers despite being from the Capital, and generous word of mouth had helped Apothecary Akatsuki to rise from a no-name apothecary to one of the most celebrated healer service in town.

The fact that Yuuri’s personality was deemed _endearing_ by local grandmums and mothers definitely helped. A bit.

“Yuuri, tea?”

“Ah, right, tea.”

Yuuri hastily moved to the copper pot and gave it another whiff, his eyes lit with a proud satisfaction as he took the pot off the fire and tipped the now brownish-golden-green liquid into a clay cup. “I’ll give you another cup in an hour or two and it should stop your cramping for the night,” he said as he passed the cup to Phichit. “You’ll still have to let everything out, though, so don’t hold back if you get the urge. Do you still want the honey?”

“Sure doc, and _sure_ . Much appreciated.” Phichit almost greedily took the pot of honey Yuuri passed him, and he probably would have dunked the entire pot into his cup if the brewer didn’t stop him at two ladles. He drank the entire cup within two gulps, and the look in his face after he put the cup back on the counter was almost screaming ‘ _are you proud of me now_ ’.

“I won’t add honey in your second cup later, you know, so don’t get too happy just yet.” Yuuri almost laughed when he saw Phichit’s smile drop into an overly dramatic frown.

“Oh hey look, Yuuri, Yuuri,” Yuuri walked closer to Phichit when the younger boy called him out, eyes fixed at the inside of the empty cup. “I got something interesting from the residue here.” He nudged the glass towards Yuuri, who leaned onto the counter to take a look into the glass, and saw…

“...it’s tea residue.”

“Yes, yes it is. But look at what it looks like!”

Yuuri squinted behind his glasses, but no matter how much he squinted he really couldn’t make any shape out of the sandy leftovers sitting at the bottom of the clay cup. “I can’t see anything, Phichit.”

The disappointment in Phichit’s sigh was _dripping_.

“Yuuri, my man, you’re a genius as a Healer, but you’re bloody _helpless_ in this!” The friendly pat behind Yuuri’s back was a little too hard for his liking, making the young man cough a bit when the impact hit. “That residue was forming an eye, which is a symbol of meeting and new acquaintances - and a wide open one, too, so it’s likely a very welcome meeting! Did you never take any interest in fortune telling, doc?”

“It was called _bullshitology_ where I studied, Phichit.”

“ _Harsh,_ Yuuri.”

The two chuckled at the exchange. “No, seriously, it wasn’t something that many people take seriously, so…” Yuuri shook his head. “To answer your question, I don’t really put any interest in it.”

Phichit nodded his head. “Eh, understandable. Even among the younger kids it’s not something people take too seriously, I guess. Sits right in place between the lovers numbers fortune thing kids are very into lately.”

“Right?”

“Sits _right_ in place with the Witch legend, too.”

At the mention of the witch, Yuuri shook his head. “ _Really_ , Phichit. First the eye, next you're going to tell me you believe in the Hasetsu Witch too.”

“Hell yeah, _the_ witch,” Phichit’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “She _swoops_ into the house of her chosen, and spirits the unlucky soul away, _never_ to be seen again. Thus shall her horrible deeds haunt those who does not fear the dark until a silver sword pierces through her heart, banishing evil with a light that splits the night!” His arms were gesturing grandly, swooping dramatically as he recited the lines, and Yuuri only laughed. "...granted most people only knows about the first half about the witch and never the second part. Not sure where the silver sword part came from, anyway, but it makes sense so  _meh_."

"None of that made any sense!"

Phichit laughed. "You know silver is the bane of many night beasts, so I suppose it would make sense for a witch that only comes out at night to be afraid of silver, but I digress." He passed his cup back to Yuuri with a single push. "Sorry, not many people talk about the witch anymore around this part, so I'm a bit desperate. I  _really_ loved that particular one." Yuuri nodded in understanding, although his smile barely reached his eyes.

“She _certainly_ had been rather quiet lately, though.” Yuuri mused, as he took Phichit’s cup away. “Our last disappearance was like...two months ago? Three? It used to happen multiple times in a week, right?”

“Hm, true.” Phichit mumbled. “Honestly I think it’s simply because people had been adhering to the curfew lately. Too afraid of the Witching Hour, they are, _hah_!”

“Maybe it _is_  because people don’t go drunk at some ungodly hour anymore.” Yuuri supplied, laughing lightly. “People really should stop blaming legends when it’s their own fault. Most of them come back at some point anyway, so they probably wandered to the wrong part of the woods drunk or something.”

“Have you been talking with the older patrons again, Yuuri? Because you totally sounded like them just now.”

Yuuri blinked at Phichit, then shook his head, sighing. “I stand with plausible explanations, Phichit.” He said. Phichit sneered. “Plausible, yeah, right. No fun in that, that’s for sure.” Yuuri frowned, but knowing that it wasn’t going to steer the discussion any other way, he didn’t say anything. “Alright, you don’t believe in The Witch, I get that. Please tell me you still believe in _magic_ , though, Yuuri.”

Again, Yuuri blinked at Phichit, but this time his eyes were met with curious, if not somewhat _worried_ ones.

He could feel the sadness in his own eyes.

“You know the answer to that, Phichit.”

Phichit almost said something to reply, but their conversation was cut short when Mari’s voice boomed from the entrance, calling out to Yuuri. “I think we have guests,” Yuuri muttered apologetically to Phichit before he walked out from the apothecary room. Phichit could hear Yuuri and his sister talking about _guests_ and _horses_ , and not a moment later Yuuri came back to the apothecary.

“Got some knightly horses to take care,” he said to Phichit. “Want to come along?”

Phichit’s stomach gurgled, forcing its owner to shake his head with immense sadness.

“Well, if you feel like watching them just come out from the Eastern exit to the stables.” Yuuri smiled, before disappearing into the halls.

Phichit stared at where Yuuri was only a moment ago, and he couldn’t help but sigh.

“We all have been losing our faith in magic…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I-i-i-i-it's not like I need your kudos or reviews or whatever! /*TSUNDERE BLUSHES*/
> 
>  
> 
> Actually yes I need them they're good for my crippling self-doubt issues thanks bye  
> *Also oh my god thanks Pish for correcting my 11-week long mistake of spelling Nikiforov -NIKIVOROF- LOL you're the best


	2. The Right Way Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuri and Victor were apparently a little more uninformed than they wanted to believe. A certain healer and his friend is more than eager to help direct them to the right direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> During the time of my absence from updating I have consolidated my entire plot into something tangible, and I have sorted out a number of kinks and ambiguity that had apparently plagued the first chapter. For those who had skipped re-reading the first chapter, apart from Victor's surname (thanks Pish!), I've practically rewritten about 70% of chapter I, check it out if you haven't re-read chapter I!
> 
> If you have read the previous version of chapter I, there may be minimum movement from the first ending of chapter I to this 2-chapters version, but I have staggered some key information in these 2 chapters. I promise things will start to gain some momentum in chapter III onwards, so { please look forward to it! }

Hasetsu was a small village, and the first impression it gave to Victor was beautiful.

(For Yuri it only screamed  _boring_.)

The people were friendly, at least.  _Too friendly_ , and while they did receive some curious looks on Yuri’s rather  _extravagant_ outfits (he insisted to keep his knight attires even when Victor was forced to opt for less  _Royal Knight-_ ly attires after the update to his reputation), they were nonetheless quickly welcomed into the village with very helpful directions that quickly lead them into an inn.

“ _Yu-topia Akatsuki_.” Victor read the signage at the top of the front gate. It was a wooden signage with the name of the inn carved and painted in warm colours. The red lanterns hanging on both sides of the entryway, glowing with a radiant orange light, were very different from the cold iron lights he used to see lighting up the streets of the Capital City.

The primarily wooden building was an uncommon sight even among the buildings in Hasetsu, actually, with stones and mortar being the material of choice for other buildings surrounding the inn. It gave the two knights a strange feeling as they stepped through the gates, as if they were walking into an entirely different world - an experience only amplified by the white raked sands with infinitely spiraling patterns that replaced the more common green Hasetsu home gardens.

“This feels weird.” Yuri finally said, as they awkwardly stood in the middle of the pathway, staring at the impeccably pristine sand garden. The seemingly random rocks scattered across the sand only added to the strange allure of the sandy swirls, that elegantly curved around the rocks. Like water rippling around stones, Victor noted. Yuri agreed.

“I see you are admiring our gardens already.”

A new voice joined them, taking their attention to the inn’s door, where a woman with two-toned hair stood, her face proud and her stance prouder. “Welcome to Yu-topia Akatsuki, esteemed travelers,” she greeted. “I take it you are looking to stay for the night.”

“That is correct,” Victor replied, with a polite smile. “And you are?”

The woman introduced herself as Katsuki Mari (“Please call me Mari - my family introduces our family name first then our given name, and it’s a hard habit to leave behind,” she said, when he referred to her as Katsuki) the oldest child of the inn’s proprietors. She swiftly lead the guests inside, helping Yuri carry his belongings despite some protests from the smaller knight.

Just before they walked inside, from the corner of his eyes Victor noticed another person wearing the inn’s garb outside - a dark-haired young man, gently taking his and Yuri’s horses to a stable just round the building (according to Mari). Must be another staff, he assumed. He gracefully followed their hostess’ example of taking off their shoes to switch into a pair of leather slippers, which apparently had been prepared for them while they were busy adoring the garden.

He laughed when Yuri cursed at his greaves.

“Makes you regret not wearing the leather boots instead, doesn’t it, Yuri.” Victor only grinned when Yuri threw him a much deserved glare, which only intensified as the smaller knight managed to take off the offending pieces of metal to peel off his shoes afterwards. ”I suggest changing out from those stuffy armours as well - the robes seem very comfortable, you know.”

The silver-haired knight casually ignored the slew of unappreciative curses from his companion, and turned to Mari, who he noticed were looking at them amusedly. “So he’s called Yuri, too.” she said, still with the curious smile on her face.

“ _Too_?”

“Ah, my brother’s name is also Yuri...sort of.” her smile softened, as she leaned on one of the pillars that framed the doorway. “Katsuki Yu- _u_ -ri. Similar name,  _vastly_ different temperament, I tell you.”

“I see.”

Mari seemed like she wanted to say something else, but she was cut short by the sound of the door opening, revealing the young man Victor saw earlier. His black hair was combed down, and his body, only a few measures shorter than Victor, seemed to be of the stout build, with noticeable fat on his cheek.

Also, his face looked...wet?

“...Yuuri.” Mari called.

Ah, so  _this_ is Katsuki Yu _u_ ri.

“The hell happened to your face? It’s not raining outside, is it?” Mari asked the exact question Victor and Yuri (the knight one) wanted to ask, and the answer came in the form of a grimace filled with regret.

“Horse drool,” he said. “They lick very aggressively.”

Knight Plisetsky made a face.

“...right.” Mari held back a laugh, and she handed her brother a towel. “Wipe that disgusting snot off your face and greet our guests, will you?” Victor and Yuri watched as the black-haired Yuri accepted the towel with a faint “thank you”. They watched as the unassuming young man took off his drool-laden glasses and wiped his face with the speckless towel, then his glasses with a corner of it that hadn’t got equine saliva on it.

They watched as Yuuri Katsuki put his glasses on, then  _stared_ when his eyes met Victor’s.

Yuri thought he would start drooling.

 

* * *

 

 

After countless apologies from the young Katsuki (for staring, and then for knocking over Yuri's scattered metal bits when he stumbled in, and then for falling into Victor when he fell-), Victor and Yuri found themselves sitting across a still very awkward Yuuri Katsuki and a stranded Southern Kingdom citizen who went with the name Phichit Chulanont, who was laughing very animatedly after finding out about Yuuri's series of unfortunate incidents. Yuri's eyes had squinted in suspicion when Phichit mentioned the Southern Kingdom, and although Victor was better at hiding it, there was a slight unease that formed a crease under his eyes.

"Don't get it wrong - I've been stranded here since the Annexation, but I got absolutely no hard feelings against you Northlings!" The laughter and the joking tone the tan boy had didn't completely ease the situation, but it did stop Yuri from glaring his eyes off at the Southern resident. “I’m blending well with the locals, so no big deal, right?” The Southerner looked straight at the two knights with eyes that were half threatening and half pleading. “You’re not going to, like…bring me in for breaching those shitty border laws and stuff, right?”

“Did you ille-“

"Yeah, nah." Victor cut Yuri from saying what he almost blurted out. "Not that we  _can_ , actually - the Northern Kingdom doesn't really like me at the moment, so even if I bring you with me back to the Knights now they'll probably just send us  _both_  to die in the wild." Here, Victor smiled gently, and although it was clear that the smile wasn't as genuine as any of them wanted it to be, apparently it still managed to send Yuuri into another staring daze.

Phichit had to elbow Yuuri to snap him out of the daze.

"So...what brought you here?" It was Phichit again who initiated the talk, after the momentary silence. "Anything to do with the kingdom not really liking you at the moment?"

"Victor here thought it would be fun to hunt your witch." Yuri helpfully supplied.

Upon hearing the name  _Victor_  both Yuuri and Phichit visibly perked up. "Victor?" Yuuri repeated, with a surprising amount of dignity mustered after losing his words so much. "As in Victor  _Nikiforov_ , the star child of the Northern Kingdom's Royal Knights?" If he was pale earlier, Phichit swore Yuuri was slowly dying at this point.

"That would be me...though I don't think people will still call me the Royal Knight's star child at this point."

"And why is that, if we may ask?"

"None of your business, isn't it?" Yuri snapped at Phichit, who was taken aback at first, but the recovered with a huff and a shrug. ' _Just askin',_ he muttered.

It took Yuri and Victor almost five days to travel from the Capital to Hasetsu on horseback, and it genuinely surprised them that the news of Victor's  _temporary_  expulsion from the Knights and its reason hadn't hit the seaside village yet, but it was a welcome change for the knights. Although it took them some effort to resurrect Yuuri ("You mean you were basically drooling at him without knowing who he is, Yuuri?" "I know his  _name_ , but not a face to go with the name! Not my fault we don't get too much knightly publication around here!" “Then why were you staring at him like he was your God or whatever?” “I-“), it eased them even more when the two young men in front of them decided to not pursue the matter any longer, and instead moved on to the topic of what they came to Hasetsu for.

"The Witch of Hasetsu," Phichit muttered, as he fold his hands on the table. "You're definitely not the first to come looking for her."

"Have anyone got lucky?"

"Nah."

Victor's eyebrows rose. "I sense a  _but_ ," he said, eyes staring expectantly at the tan boy. "I suppose the news would have spread if the witch had been found."

"Yeah, naturally." Phichit agreed, but there was still a frown on his face. "If you guys had came three months earlier you would probably have an easier time looking for information, really. The witch hasn't been in action for three months and counting now. Interest is pretty low at this point."

There was an obvious disappointment in Victor's face, and anger in Yuri's.

"...what if I tell you there is _no_ witch?"

Three pairs of eyes honed to Yuuri, who quickly slapped himself for muttering out of place. "Oi, snotface." Yuri called, ignoring the  _scandalized_ look on Yuuri's face. "What do you mean there is no witch?"

When Yuuri didn't answer straight away, and instead stared at the table, Yuri stood up. There was a collective gasp from the table and the neighbouring tables when the knight planted a leg on the table top, right in front of Yuuri's seat. " _What_." his voice was loud, sharp, and threatening, demanding for an answer. " _Do you mean with there's no witch?_ "

" _YURI PLISETSKY._ "

Victor's voice was unbelievably loud when he called Yuri, silencing the entire room at once. The silver-haired knight put his trademark smile and  _glared_  at his aide. "Please be seated and talk through this like the civilized men we are."

If the surprising coldness in his voice didn't put Yuri down, his deadly grip on the younger knight's leg must have done the job, as Yuri took his leg off the table and sat back down, scowling but not saying anything. "There we go," Victor nodded, before he turned to Yuuri and Phichit, who, like the others in the room, were stunned beyond words at the chilling display of charisma - or fear, or the fact that he had just put down the infamous Northern Tiger with only words. "Can you please elaborate on your words, gentlemen?"

Neither Yuuri nor Phichit found the nerve to deny that request.

 

* * *

 

"It began seven years ago, shortly after the Annexation of Hasetsu. At  _first_  people attributed the disappearance to alcohol, even the next few disappearances after that one. There was this period of unease in Hasetsu following the Annexation after all, so it wasn't too extraordinary that some curious incident would happen here and there, you know. It wasn't until when a witness -well, they say witness, we say  _drunkard_  - claimed that when his unlucky friend disappeared right next to him, he saw a woman bringing his friend away. Held his hands, guided him to walk away. Claimed that he couldn't move, even as the event unfolded in front of him, and all."

"Sounded like utter bullshit."

Phichit didn't respond verbally to Yuri's remark, but he shrugged in agreement. "The words of a drunkard aren't really the most reliable around here, as I'm sure you'd know, but his claim was so bizarre, it became interesting. It quickly became something people talked about all day and night. The continuing disappearances only helped fuel the gossips and whispers, and before we knew what happened people were already calling this mysterious woman  _The Witch,_ and  _then_  we got the legend to go with it." Phichit took a breath. "And I think, that's what Yuuri was trying to express earlier - that if you're looking for a witch, said witch might be the result of some drunkard's imagination so..."

There was an uneasy silence hanging over the table, as Yuri and Victor both tried to process the information given to them.

"So the travel here...had been a waste of time after all." Victor murmured, to which Phichit shook his head.

"There  _is_  actually a chance that the Witch actually do exist, and honestly I consider myself a believer." He said, with a strange hint of pride that made Yuuri glance at him with an almost mocking face. "Yuuri here, however, didn't take any of it seriously, which is honestly a pity because now that interest in the legend had pretty much died down, I got no one to talk about it with!"

Yuuri seemed tired. Almost.

"It really depends on how much do you want to trust a drunkard, I guess."

"... _harsh_ , Yuuri."

Then there was silence, which persisted for a while, until a pot of piping hot tea and four cups were placed on the table. When Yuuri looked up, he was met by the smiling face of his father.

"I've been listening in your talk for a while now, I'm sorry," the middle-aged man smiled good-naturedly, and lightly bowed at the two guests who were also staring at him. "I believe I haven't introduced myself to you, our guests. I am Katsuki Toshiya, Yuuri's and Mari's father."

"Ah, the owner, then." Victor stated, and Toshiya nodded. "It is a beautiful place, sir."

"I am glad to hear that." He replied sincerely. "Now, I heard that you two were going after our local legendary Witch?"

The anger in Yuri's face had somewhat sizzled away, leaving behind anxiety and uncertainty, which no one on the table managed to miss. Whether it was Toshiya's calming presence or merely basic manners, no one knew exactly - he  _did_  almost smash the man's table only moments ago. At the very least, the inn proprietor didn't seem to concerned about the table anymore, and him scratching his jaw only told them that he was thinking about something - a trait that Phichit noticed seemed to be hereditary in the Katsuki family, since both Yuuri and Mari tended to do that when they think too.

"Well, the Witch is not a very solid target to go after, I think.” There was an apologetic look on his face, that unfortunately didn’t quite help anyone in the table. “Nonetheless, it is not my place to stop you if you wish to chase after the witch. I take it you are looking to enter the woods?”

“Correct, sir.”

“Then I suggest you take great care tomorrow,” he said, still scratching his jaw as he talked. “There was an…incident.”

“Incident?”

Toshiya excused himself before he stood up, leaving the tea he brought earlier on the table for the boys to drink. When he returned a moment later, in his hand was a rolled up paper that Yuuri recognized as a local newspaper. Yuuri watched as his father put the scroll on the table and opened it up, pointing into a section filled with the picture of a pale man. Judging from Victor's and Yuri's reactive gasp, they seemed to know the man in the picture.

"We've known him as the stray knight for a long while now,” Toshiya said. He pushed the paper closer to Victor, who took the paper and eyed it carefully, his aquamarine eyes tracing the name  _Georgi Popovich_  and the familiar face. “He apparently attacked some people last night before escaping into the woods. He’s not usually dangerous, but he did leave some people wounded and he is, somehow, weaponized.”

Phichit was leaning over the table to take a peek at the paper. "Oh, Georgi," he muttered, as he saw the image. "Poor guy. I think he lost his mind over a break-up or something and he ends up loitering around the beach road every midnight singing sad love songs, yeah? People were betting how long would it take before the Witch dump him in the woods. I guess I'm winning  _that_  bet."

"Phichit, you  _what_."

The only reaction Yuuri got was a shrug, as if it was the most obvious thing to do.

"In case you were wondering though, I bet that the witch wouldn't lay her hands on him, and even if she does he'd be too heartbroken to accept anyway," Phichit mumbled - there were no traces of regret in his voice. "Lost knight wounded seven people before running into the woods... _wow_. Talk about losing it. He was harmless before, only walking around the village drunk and sad. I haven't read this morning's paper, though, so I didn't know Georgi finally lost it for good-"

"He was one of us."

Phichit and Yuuri turned to Yuri, who was reading the paper with an indescribable look.

"Georgi Popovich was one of Northern Kingdom's Royal Knights." Victor supplied, upon seeing the curious looks the two young men had. "He was sent to be stationed as a head supervisor at the Central Expanse border in a five years period – that was before the Annexation of the Expanse area, and when he didn't come back to the Capital at the end of his duty everyone thought he was dead, and we sent him away with a posthumous ceremony. None of the troops sent with him knew what happened to him - they thought he was kidnapped by some Southern extremists or something. To think that he was here all this time..."

There was another silence, which was only broken with Toshiya coughing. "Well. I know he was a knight, but a Royal Knight - that is quite something."

"Indeed." Yuri frowned. "He never had the complexion of a Royal Knight, but that doesn't change the fact he was supposed to be skilled enough as one. We need to at least question him about the situation behind his disappearance...and this stupid incident." He turned his gaze to Victor, whose cerulean eyes were narrowing at the paper. "What do you think, Vitya?"

"Taking Georgi back into custody and making sure he doesn't do something stupid would seem like a more concrete reason to enter the woods than doing a Witch hunt, not to mention the questioning we'll need to do," Victor muttered. "Looks like we can stick with our initial schedule after all, Yura!" Turning his face to Toshiya, Victor made a slight bow out of respect. "Thank you, sir. You have our utmost gratitude."

"If there is anything else I can help you with, please do not hesitate to ask - we will help to the best of our power."

"There is, actually." Yuri said, not bothering with too much frivolities. "We're rather low on curatives following our trip from North because Victor thought stocking up would just burden him. Do you have any good healers in the town that you can recommend?"

Upon hearing this, a strange, almost collusive smile appeared on Phichit and Toshiya's face. "Well, you won't need to travel far for that, dear knights," Phichit said, and both knights noticed him pull Yuuri closer. "Because the best apothecary in town is right inside our doorstep - quite literally so."

Yuuri - may the divines pity his anxious soul - seemed like he could die out of embarrassment any moment.


End file.
